Cherry Ripe Popsicles

These Dairy-Free Delights Will Make Your Summer Complete

It is a very rare occasion when my original visualisation of a new recipe is realised in the final product. I am proud to say that this was one of those moments where tweaking and remaking of the recipe was unnecessary. These vegan chocolate Cherry Ripe ice creams were so successful the first time that I had to blog about them straight away!

Growing up, my favourite chocolate was always the Cherry Ripe - sweet and coconutty with a little sourness of cherry, all encased in a delicious coat of dark chocolate. I don’t know what it was that spurred me on to create a healthy popsicle version of this chocolate but I’m glad that something did. The Cherry Ripe ice-cream mixture for these popsicles is incredible, so be prepared to eat about half of it straight from the blender. What's left should make you around 6 popsicles with vegan chocolate toppings, depending on the size of your mould. I bought my moulds from a discount store for $2 each so they certainly won’t set you back a long way. A worthy investment!

The chocolate shell is kind of magical - it’s just like Ice Magic (aka 'Magic Shell' to some)! I have very fond memories of topping ice-cream bowls with this chocolate sauce which hardens once it touches cold substances. The other day, it suddenly occurred to me that coconut oil also hardens when it is cold and would therefore make a perfect healthy(ish) dairy-free substitution for Ice Magic.

This dessert is in many ways a fusion of two of my favourite treats as a child.

I hope that it evokes some fuzzy memories for you as well.

Instructions

Equipment:

- popsicle moulds

- paddle pop sticks

- blender or food processor

Ingredients For Ice-Cream:

- 3 cups fresh or frozen pitted cherries

- 270ml coconut cream

- 1/2 cup maple syrup

- 1 cup desiccated coconut

- 1 tbsp vanilla extract

- pinch salt

Vegan Chocolate Shell:

- 3/4 cup coconut oil, melted if solid at room temperature

- 1/2 cup cacao powder

- 1/2 cup maple syrup

For decorating:

- Desiccated coconut

How to:

1. Add all ingredients for the ice-cream to a blender and process until smooth

2. Pour ice-cream mixture into moulds, add paddle pop sticks and set in the freezer for at least 5 hours.

3. Once your popsicles have set, make the chocolate shell by mixing all ingredients in a small and deep bowl. Taste for sweetness and adjust the cacao or maple syrup if necessary. Have your desiccated coconut out and ready to go as soon as you dip your popsicles

4. Remove popsicles from moulds and one-by-one dip in the chocolate mixture. Immediately sprinkle with coconut before the chocolate sets.

5. If not serving straight away, pop your popsicles back in the freezer until you are ready.